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How to grow your own mistletoe
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Mistletoe © Chris Harris / Plantlife
The decline in old apple orchards is threatening the quantity of mistletoe in Britain – but its fondness for apple trees and gardens means that you can do your bit to help!
In the wild, seeds are spread by birds, mainly Mistle Thrushes and Blackcaps, but planting by hand is easy. Mistletoe expert Jonathan Briggs outlines how:
Mistletoe facts
* Poplar, lime and willow trees are all susceptible to mistletoe but its favourite is the culti- vated apple tree.
* Open spaces are its favourite habitat - hence why mistletoe is often found in parks, orchards and gardens.
* The Welsh Borders and Somerset have the most mistletoe, possibly because of the strong apple growing tradition in these areas.
1. You need fresh berries – when you buy it at Christmas, keep some sprigs outside so the berries don’t dry out. Germination is best from February, so keep the sprigs cool until then, or get fresh supplies. Each berry contains one seed, set in a gluey white jelly.
2. Choose a suitable host (apple trees are ideal, but most rosaceous shrubs will do), and pick a young branch two to four cm in diameter. Squeeze seeds from as many berries as you can (mortality can be high) and stick them, using their own glue, to the underside of the branch. Label the branch, and wait …
3. Growth in the first two or three years is slow, and you’ll need that label to remind you where to look, as seedlings are tiny (10mm max). But, if successful, you’ll have recognisable mistletoe shoots from year three onwards and you may need to control it later on as it grows fast once established. And remember that because male and female flowers grow on separate plants you will need at least two plants for berries to appear.
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